Dallas-Based Shinola Now Makes Watches

Receive the latest business updates in your inbox

Detroit has a long history of manufacturing -- cars, steel, even popcorn.

Now, the city is home to a facility devoted to the production of an item not made at this scale in the U.S. for decades: the wristwatch.

The Dallas-based Shinola Company is manufacturing its Shinola brand of watches in Detroit.

Shinola officials say this year's watch production target is 45,000, to be sold online, at flagship stores in Detroit and New York and at fashion and jewelry retailers and department stores nationwide.

Early returns are positive. Shinola sold a limited-edition round of 2,500 watches in less than a week.

Either way, watchmaking, which hasn't been a thriving American industry for a while, once again appears to be ticking.